FAMILY As the archivist of our family history, I'm blessed to have an amazing trove of both vintage photos and documents for inspiration. More and more visual history and documentation has been turning up recently for us through a variety of searches, and I'm looking forward to exploring my rich Jewish heritage in a detailed series in the future. In the meantime, I've been using several of the images as an excuse to learn, practice and sometimes delve into different mediums and tools. Below is a selection of drawings using many of these explorations.
Please feel free to contact me for commissions for your own family portraits in graphite, charcoal or pastel using the form on my Contact page.
BABA While going through old family photos with my father, we found a middle-aged photo of his mother he'd not seen before. He then hinted that he'd love a drawing of her someday. I decided to take the hint and make it into an opportunity to play with some new surfaces and tools. I also added an extra image of my Baba that I've always loved, a portrait of her taken when she was 15 years old. Sap green paint was scumbled onto a wood panel, then fibre paste was added in a rough outline of her head, making a coarse yet fine surface for layers of pastel.
Baba, 1/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12', 2020
Baba (detail), 1/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
Baba (detail), 1/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
Baba (detail), 1/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
Baba, 2/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12', 2020
Baba, 2/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
Baba, 2/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
Baba, 2/2, pastel, fibre paste and acrylic on panel, 9"x12' ©Ginger Sedlarova 2020
THE PILTZES Pastel on paper, based on old passport photos of my charming in-laws.
Irene, pastel on paper, 9"x12", 2019
Hans-Karl, pastel on paper, 9"x12", 2019
FATHER FIGURES Graphite on paper, drawn from archival photos of my father, Leonard.
Dad and Uncle Archie, 1930s, graphite on paper, 2019
Dad in Shilo, 1950s, graphite on paper, 2019
Dad in the Navy, 1950s, graphite on paper, 2019
Business father, 1970s, graphite on paper, 2019
BIG SISTER Left, study in pastel on paper, 20"x26". Right, graphite and charcoal on paper, 20"x26".
